B♭3 Euphonium Fingering
How to play B♭3 on the euphonium: Open — no valves pressed at all. — on the 4th partial, in bass clef, sounding exactly as written. The baritone horn plays this note with exactly the same fingering.
Filled valves in the diagram are the ones you press. Valve 1 is nearest you and is worked by your right index finger, valve 2 by the middle finger, and valve 3 — nearest the bell — by the ring finger. These are three-valve fingerings for the B♭ euphonium; the staff is in bass clef, and in bass clef the euphonium sounds exactly as written. The same fingering serves the baritone horn, and a treble-clef player will find this note written as C5.
Hear B♭3 and try the fingering
Pick an instrument and a note and the diagram updates instantly — filled keys are the ones you press. The same finder sits on every note page, pre-set to that note.
The B♭3 fingering, step by step
- Leave all three valves up — this is an open note. The euphonium’s open tube speaks six notes in this range, and your lips and air choose which one: hear the pitch in your head before you play, and keep the sound round rather than pushing for it.
In short: open — no valves pressed at all.
About B♭3 on the euphonium
The middle register is the instrument’s home territory — the 4th partial’s ladder (G♭3 to B♭3) and the 5th partial’s short ladder (B3 to D4). The 5th partial runs flat, so its notes (B3, C4, D♭4 and the open D4) sit a touch low and reward a tuner check; two of them carry alternates both reference charts list.
B♭3 is the 4th partial — the open note at the top of the bass staff, and the centre of the euphonium’s home territory. More school band music sits within a few notes of B♭3 than anywhere else on the instrument. In a treble-clef part it is written C5.
B♭3 is note 13 of the 25 in the full euphonium fingering chart, sitting between A3 below it and B3 above it. Like every fingering on this site, it was checked against the NoteAtlas euphonium chart and the University of Mississippi's euphonium and baritone chart before publishing — and the same fingering serves the baritone horn.
Practising B♭3
Practise this note against a tuner, especially if it belongs to the 5th partial (B3 to D4), which sits flat. Then play it in a phrase at band volume — a note that only tunes alone at a whisper is not learned yet.
Questions about B♭3
What is the fingering for B♭3 on euphonium?
Open — no valves pressed at all. B♭3 is played on the 4th partial (harmonic) of the B♭ euphonium in the middle register, with the three-valve fingerings this site charts. The baritone horn uses exactly the same fingering for this note. The full step-by-step is on this page, and you can hear the note with the Fingering Finder.
Does B♭3 sound as written on euphonium?
In bass clef, yes: euphonium and baritone parts are written at concert pitch, so written B♭3 sounds as concert B♭3 — the same pitch a piano plays. In a treble-clef (brass band) part the same sounding note is written a major ninth higher, as C5. The fingering is identical either way.
Is there an alternate fingering for B♭3?
For B♭3, the fingering above is the one to learn. It is the basic fingering both reference charts give for this note, and the one teachers expect to see.
Think this fingering is wrong? Report it — every report is checked against the source charts.